News Item
Recovery of illicit virtual assets in focus at joint OSCE-INTERPOL workshop for Armenian and Moldovan practitioners
- Issued on:
- Issued by:
- Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
Armenian and Moldovan practitioners deepened their knowledge around how to seize, confiscate and manage illicit virtual assets during a workshop organized by the OSCE and INTERPOL with thematic sessions and a simulation exercise contributed by practitioners from Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s economic and financial police.
Participants learned about current trends in the misuse of virtual assets, good practices for legal and institutional frameworks for virtual asset recovery, the role of blockchain analytics in supporting related investigations, and practical challenges in conducting virtual asset seizures. Presentations also covered INTERPOL’s available resources, tools and areas where they can provide operational support to authorities.
The workshop highlighted the increasing importance of international co-operation in addressing risks posed by digital financial technologies. “This is not the end of our journey. It is the beginning of a broader, more co-ordinated approach to amplify our collective impact. Let this workshop be more than an event, let it be the foundation of a model of co-operation, where technology serves justice, where knowledge is shared, and where victims finally get their due,” said Humaid Alameemi, Assistant Director of INTEPROL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre.
“At the OSCE, the world’s largest regional security organization, we firmly believe that economic and environmental security are inseparable from effective anti-money laundering systems. Vulnerabilities in one part of our region can create risks for all. That is why our approach is rooted in inclusivity: supporting participating States with the tools, frameworks, and partnerships needed to counter the misuse of virtual assets,” said Zurab Sanikidze, Senior Project Officer at the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA).
This activity was implemented as part of the OSCE’s extra-budgetary project, “Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money laundering risks of virtual assets”, which is funded by Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States.